The Korea Herald

LG Display top UHD TV panel seller in Q4

Feb 26, 2015

South Korea's LG Display Co. was the No. 1 provider of Ultra HD panels in the fourth quarter of 2014, data showed Thursday, emerging as the top player in the sector for the first time. LG Display took up 27.9 percent of the global UHD TV panel market by volume over the cited period by shipping 1.86 million units, the data compiled by market tracker DisplaySearch showed, beating its Taiwan-based rival Innolux Corp. Innolux garnered 26.3 percent of the market in the October-December period by sh
[Newsmaker] Samsung gobbles up tech start-ups

Feb 25, 2015

Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jay-young is making a big push to absorb young tech firms around the world as part of efforts to create new software and service offerings and finally secure new revenue sources. Since chairman Lee Kun-hee was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack in May, the Korean tech giant, led by the son, has acquired or invested in 11 international start-ups. This compares with 18 acquisitions made between 2007 and 2013. For South Korea’s family-run conglomerates
CrucialTec eyes fintech collaboration with Google, Alibaba, Microsoft

Feb 25, 2015

Charles Ahn, the chief executive of fingerprint module maker CrucialTec, is certain that his firm’s business will grow exponentially this year. He certainly had reasons to be confident during his interview with The Korea Herald earlier this month. Charles Ahn, the chief executive of biometric sensor developer CrucialTec. (CrucialTec)The Korean fingerprint module producer is anticipated to achieve a turnaround after suffering from three consecutive annual losses, and more than 10 business project
SK Telecom, Nokia demonstrate faster LTE

Feb 25, 2015

SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, said Wednesday it has successfully demonstrated a faster data transmission technology which utilizes existing bands for Long Term Evolution. The Korean telecom firm used the 4X4 Multiple-Input Multiple-Output technology developed by Nokia Networks and carrier aggregation which combine different bands to realize a 600 Mbps data transmission rate.The 4X4 MIMO utilizes four transmitting antennas and four receiving antennas for communication between
Uber Korea turns off UberX fare against Seoul's banning policy

Feb 25, 2015

Uber Korea, the local unit of ride-booking app creator Uber Technologies Inc., said Wednesday it will make its ride-sharing service UberX free of charge, in an apparent move to counteract the Seoul city government's ban on the disputed mobile platform. The decision by Uber, effective from Wednesday, is to "reduce the negative impact on its drivers and their partners and to protect them from an anti-ridesharing ordinance by the city," the company said in a statement. The Uber apps, including
Mobile banking usage soars 45.5 pct in 2014

Feb 25, 2015

Daily usage of mobile banking in South Korea spiked 45.5 percent from a year earlier in 2014 as a growing number of elderly users started using their smartphones for bank transactions, central bank data showed Wednesday. The volume of daily transactions processed via smartphones averaged at 31 million last year, compared with 21 million in 2013, according to the Bank of Korea. While the figure continues to post a double-digit growth, it marks a slowdown compared with recent years when transact
SK Telecom to unveil smart shopping platform at MWC

Feb 25, 2015

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top mobile carrier, said Wednesday it will roll out a smart shopping platform and its related devices at the Mobile World Congress to be held in Spain early next month, as it seeks to tap deeper into the online-to-offline payment business. The Seoul-based telecom company will showcase Smart Shopper, a shopping platform that mainly allows users to make cart-free purchases at retail stores, during the four-day exhibition set to kick off March 2 (Spain time) in Barce
LG to debut G Flex 2 in global markets next month

Feb 25, 2015

LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 smartphone maker, said Wednesday it will launch its latest curved-design handset in overseas markets from March, starting in the United States. The G Flex 2, debuted locally in late January, is the upgraded version of LG's premium lineup in curved smartphones whose display bends inward. It comes in a smaller 5.5-inch size compared with the 6-inch predecessor. The new handset will be available from March 1 in the U.S. through Sprint Corp. before hitting
Samsung heir, PayPal founder discuss fintech strategy

Feb 24, 2015

Meeting comes a week after Samsung’s acquisition of U.S. mobile payments startup LoopPay
LG to push OLED, quantum dot TVs for 2015

Feb 24, 2015

LG Electronics Inc. unveiled Tuesday its latest organic light-emitting diode and new quantum dot TVs for this year, vowing to expand its global presence with the two-pronged lineup strategy. The company, ranked No. 2 at home and a rival to Samsung Electronics Co. in home appliances, said it plans to release 10 OLED models in 2015, twice the number it had rolled out last year. The Ultra OLED TV has integrated both the color accuracy and a high resolution -- two key elements found in existing
Samsung, SK Telecom to promote 5G at MWC

Feb 24, 2015

South Korea's top smartphone maker Samsung Electronics Co. and leading mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Tuesday they will jointly promote the fifth-generation network that runs on high-frequency bands at the Mobile World Congress, which kicks off in Spain next month. Samsung and SK Telecom will showcase the so-called millimeter wave technology, which boasts a speed of 7.55 gigabit-per-second on the 30-300 GHz band. Current communications networks use bands of below 6GHz. The speed will mark
S. Korean TV makers hold over 60 pct of European market

Feb 24, 2015

The combined market share of flat TVs made by South Korean companies reached 62.4 percent in Europe in 2014, far surpassing their combined global share, backed by high demand for premium lineups in the region, data showed Tuesday. Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. saw its market share stand at 39.7 percent in Europe at the end of December, with that of its smaller rival LG Electronics Inc. reaching 22.7 percent in the same period, according to the data compiled by market tracker DisplaySearch
Pantech to end takeover talks

Feb 23, 2015

The new owner of Pantech, the nation’s No. 3 handset-maker, is set to be announced soon, industry sources said Monday, with a U.S. asset management firm highly likely to win the bid through a private contract.According to sources close to the matter, the cash-strapped Pantech will be sold for about 100 billion won ($90 million) to a consortium led by the Los Angeles-based One Value Asset Management. The manufacturer of the once hot-selling SKY and Vega phones was placed under court receivership
LG Uplus to export smart car solution to Middle East

Feb 23, 2015

LG Uplus, South Korea’s third largest mobile carrier, said Monday that it has inked a supply deal for its smartphone mirroring system for automobiles, Car Link, in Saudi Arabia.The Car Link connects smartphones and car navigation systems, enabling drivers to utilize smartphone functions including surfing the Internet, and making calls, on the navigation systems. LG Uplus officials pose with the smartphone mirroring solution for automobiles, Car Link, in Seoul on Monday. (LG Uplus)The smartphone
Samsung SDI to acquire Magna’s battery pack business

Feb 23, 2015

Samsung SDI, a leading energy solutions firm, said Monday that it had agreed to acquire the battery pack business of Magna International, a global automotive supplier.The acquisition is expected to enhance Samsung SDI’s capabilities in batteries for electric vehicles by combining its established leadership in battery cells and modules with Magna’s expertise in battery packs.Magna’s advanced technology for battery packs will also help Samsung SDI expand its customer base in the fast-growing autom